Jail for motorcyclist who filmed himself riding dangerously

A man has been jailed for dangerous driving after he filmed himself "pulling wheelies" on a motorbike and weaving in and out of traffic at almost 200mph.

Adam Campion, 26, of Nottingham Road, Hucknall, pleaded guilty to five counts of dangerous driving at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Nottinghamshire Police said officers investigating a stolen motorbike searched Campion's house and found a laptop with hundreds of videos and images of him riding motorbikes dangerously.

One of the videos released by police show Campion riding a bike one-handed and holding his mobile phone in the other while filming his speed, which topped 189mph. Others show him riding through red lights, on the wrong side of the road, pulling wheelies and speeding in and out of traffic.

Inspector Glenn Longden said: “The illegal and dangerous use of motorcycles is a massive issue to our communities and although this investigation was immensely complex and time consuming, the result in court has been satisfying."

Man fined over harecoursing

A man has been fined for harecoursing in High Peak, Derbyshire, after his photo was given to police by a group of photographers attending a workshop.

Dean Sherratt, 30, of Princess Drive in Weston Coyney, Stoke-on-Trent, was seen with two others on Bleaklow on 12 January releasing their dogs to chase and kill the mountain hares.

Police said their photos were captured by a group of photographers and Sherratt was identified after they were shared on social media.

Derbyshire ConstabularyCopyright: Derbyshire Constabulary

Sherratt appeared at Chesterfield Magistrates' Court on Tuesday where he was found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with a dog and was fined £1,500.

Officers from the Derbyshire rural crime team described the case as "very interesting", and, praising the witnesses, added: "I'm sure everyone who has the best interests of our wildlife at heart would like to thank them for their excellent work."

The team said they are still trying to identify the other two men who were with Sherratt that day.

Derbyshire wood chosen for TV star's campaign

Sandish Shoker

BBC News

TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham has been in Derbyshire today to launch a national campaign to find and identify wildlife.

The Waingroves Community Woodland, in Ripley, has been selected as one of the locations to take part in the Bioblitz campaign and volunteers have been working since last night to try to record every species of wildlife they can find.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Volunteer Shaun Walters said: "It's like doing a national audit.

"What we are finding outside the nature reserve is a loss of habitats and loss of species so we are trying to record as many as possible and see what effect it's having on places like our woodland."

He said they have already found 100 species of moths and 19 species of butterfly in their woods.

Wildfire fund launched in Peak District

A funding appeal has been launched in the Peak District following the recent spate of moorland fires.

Donations will support fire prevention messages, volunteer costs and restoration work, the national park authority said.

Peak District National Park AuthorityCopyright: Peak District National Park Authority

It said it's helped emergency services at more than 20 moorland fires in the last few weeks, fuelled by the hot, dry weather.

Chief executive, Sarah Fowler, said the authority's been "overwhelmed" by offers of support.

“It’s heartbreaking to see swathes of our internationally important landscapes being damaged," she said.

"Wildfires are catastrophic for wildlife, flora and, importantly, the peat itself which not only provides unique habitat but vital carbon and water storage.

“The smallest spark can lead to huge amounts of damage. Ashes blown from a barbecue, a broken glass, a dropped cigarette butt can devastate our precious and protected landscapes, and affect people's livelihoods.

"The damage to the environment, wildlife, habitats and vegetation takes years to recover.”